


Lonely Moonlight

by TerraCherry



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-29
Updated: 2011-06-29
Packaged: 2017-10-20 20:25:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraCherry/pseuds/TerraCherry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud suffers from Mako poisoning and Tifa decides to stay in Mideel to take care of him. Tifa has a lot of time to think her feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lonely Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> This is very old fic but I've never published it anywhere until now. It's kind of a study of Tifa's feelings.

I couldn’t leave him. Others would do fine without me until he was better.

“You go, I’ll stay here with him.”  
“Alright, he indeed needs someone now.”  
“See you. Take care, all of you, okay?”  
“Yeah, you too, we will come back later.”  
“Bye.”

I returned to him. He was still the same as moment ago, looking into distance with unseeing eyes and his head shaking from time to time. Tears tried to surprise me again. I told myself to be strong and stepped to him.  
“Cloud? Can you hear me? Can you recognize me? It’s me, Tifa”, silently I begged he would’ve raised his blue eyes to me, even to tell me he heard me. But his head just dropped down. He seemed to be in pain. I sat next to him and said: “You will be better soon Cloud. Don’t give up.” I was telling that more to myself than to Cloud because I felt I was breaking inside. My heart was pounding because we had found Cloud finally but it was also pounding because I feared what was going to happen. What if he wouldn’t heal…? I shook such thoughts away.

I woke up when bright light hit my eyes. It was the nurse who opened the curtains.  
“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” she asked, without actually being sorry.  
“It’s fine, don’t worry.” I got up and checked Cloud. At least he was able to sleep. I think that was good. But how could I know? I didn’t know what Mako poisoning could do. Nurse checked on Cloud but everything was just like before.  
“I go get some food for myself, inform me if something happens, alright?” I said to the nurse. She nodded and I left.  
Vegetable soup and soft bread were surely delicious but I didn’t really taste them. I just ate because I knew I couldn’t do without. I was feeling empty inside and at the same time such storms were raging within. I had known him since we were little kids. He was my neighbour. My best friend. For a while I feared I had lost him for good and now I couldn’t help but feel I would soon really lose him.  
“Cloud…” I never noticed how much I cared for him until I was losing him. Even after he left from Nibelheim I knew we were going to meet again, sooner or later.

Next days didn’t bring anything new. I was like a zombie, sitting next to absent Cloud and talking to him nonsense and watching the other patients flowing in and out. The doctors didn’t do anything anymore because there wasn’t any sign that something had helped. Thank goodness it didn’t seem to go worse either. But that wasn’t enough. I prayed he’d lift his head and look at me with the sense in his eyes.

One evening it was silent and moon shone in from the window. I couldn’t sleep. There was huge bit in my throat, I felt I couldn’t swallow and I was going to choke. I told myself be strong, for Cloud, if he saw me, he wouldn’t want me to cry. But I was feeling hopeless and I burst into tears. I don’t know how long I sat there, crying and holding his hand. Clinic was all silent, only sound was my sobbing.  
“Cloud, come back to me, please…” I begged. All this time I had tried to be strong and hopeful but in the lonely moonlight there was no strength in me anymore.  
“Please… I care only for you… To hell with Materia and the end of the world and Sephiroth and all that! If you’re not here… I’m not full anymore. Cloud, can you hear me? Please, tell me you can…!” I didn’t get answer. Then he woke up and mumbled something.  
“What? Did you say something Cloud? Cloud!” Had he heard me?  
“Uhhhnnn…”  
“Cloud…! What’s happening? Are you alright?!” He shook his head but I couldn’t tell if he was able to understand me or if he was in pain again. I squeezed his hand. He was having horrible cramps.  
“Cloud, please, don’t die! Don’t…! No…” I was in panic, I didn’t want to leave him but I had to get help. I made a quick decision. I gave quick kiss on his lips and ran out.  
“I’ll come back in a moment!” Tears were blinding me as I rushed through the house and to next house where the doctor lived. I knocked on the door.  
“Doctor! Please, come quickly, come to see Cloud!” He opened the door and looked worried seeing me in tears.  
“Please, come to see him, he seemed feeling really bad...”  
“Of course Tifa, right away.”

He examined Cloud. I was nervous and walked around. The doctor went to get some medicine and treated Cloud for a while. Cloud calmed down.  
“He’s sleeping now and shouldn’t have any pain. But… Tifa, you know this, I have told you many times before: there’s nothing more I can do, I don’t have experience from such a difficult poisoning. It’s a miracle he’s even alive. You must understand this. Right, Tifa?”  
“No… There must be some way…”  
“Maybe there is, I just don’t know it.”  
“Thanks for your time”, I wanted to state this discussion was over. The doctor left and I sat next to Cloud again.  
“If you’re going, take me with you, will you Cloud?”

Day after day passed by and I was wrecked. I didn’t want to leave Cloud’s room anymore. Sometimes it seemed he knew I was there, or maybe I just imagined that.  
“Aww..” he was trying to say something.  
“I’m sorry Cloud, I don’t understand. But don’t give up.” I smiled at him and caressed his cheek. His spiky hair was all messed up because he had rolled around in his bed last night, he probably had had more nightmares. To get something to do, I took a comb and started to comb his hair.  
“Your hair is even wilder than usual, hopefully I get all shags away.” I talked to him about random things while cleaning up his hair. I don’t know if that calmed him but he was sitting still all the time. I ran my fingers through his hair. Maybe I would never get to do that again. Selfish me, taking advantage of poor Cloud when he was defenseless. I did his hair to his usual look and smiled at him.  
“Looks better now, huh?” He didn’t answer, just looked my face without expression. Then I heard low voices from the next room.  
“…no change…condition…she’s tired…fear...get sick…” I heard the nurse say. Then all of a sudden Barret and Cid rushed in while others waited in the next room.  
“You came back!” I was happy to see them all being fine.  
“Hiya tough lady! How are you? And Cloud?” Barret greeted.  
“I’m okay. As for Cloud… no change…” I looked at him, he was restless again. I noticed I had comb still in my hand. Oddly I felt embarrassed and I put it silently away.  
“What about you?” I asked to change the subject because I felt tears behind my eyes again.  
“We got a couple of pieces of Huge Materia!” Cid announced proudly.  
“Well done,” I congratulated.  
“…they are…coming… coming…” We all turned our eyes to Cloud.  
“Cloud, what did you say?” Cid asked excited.  
“Uh… unn… they are…coming, coming…” Cloud repeated slowly. I would’ve jumped up and down of joy unless the ground had started shaking right after Cloud’s words.  
“Damn, what’s happening now?!” Barret shouted.  
“Lifestream is bursting out!” We heard screams outside the clinic.  
“Monster! Hide!” The streets were in panic.  
“Quickly, we must do something!” Yuffie shook her hands.  
“Let’s burst it into pieces! C’mon!” Barret was all for action like always.  
“Okay, let’s take it down!” Cid decided.  
“I stay with Cloud”, I said and stepped closer to him. Cid nodded to me and they all rushed out. I took Cloud’s hand and said: “Don’t worry, I take care of you.”

I heard crashing and breaking sounds through the walls. Screams and commands filled the air as townspeople ran to safer places. Roaring of the monster drowned all other sounds. The ground was still shaking from time to time and I had to concentrate not to fall down. After some intense moments the monster roared again, like in pain. From hoorays I concluded they defeated the enemy. Ground was shaking constantly.  
“Shouldn’t we move Cloud somewhere safer? What if the roof comes crashing down?” I yelled over noise of falling things. The doctor nodded. I heard Cid’s voice shouting: “Tifa! Get away from there!” I grabbed Cloud’s wheelchair and said: “Let’s go Cloud!” I ran outside. Barret was at the gates gesturing I had to hurry. Suddenly solid ground beneath me cracked and I almost fell down. Then another crack appeared before me and Cloud and the ground gave way to the Lifestream waters. Ground under my feet was suddenly gone and I was falling. I didn’t know which way was up.  
“Cloud! Cloud?!!” I screamed as I was spinning around in the air.  
“Tifa! Cloud!” I heard others call for us. Then warm liquid surrounded me and the only thing in my mind was Cloud. At least I remembered to hold my breath. I was sinking and feeling the shakes of the ground through water. It got dark and colder.

I remembered all those flashbacks I had seen as I washed to the shore. Cloud… He was there, he really kept the promise we made. And I felt ashamed I didn’t notice him as he wanted. Tears were burning in my eyes.  
“Tifa! Tifa, can you hear me?” Barret was yelling at my ear.  
“Yes… Cloud…” I mumbled. I felt so tired. World was fading around. Then everything went black.

I woke up in the Highwind. I looked around. Cloud was sleeping in the bed next to mine. His lips were a bit open, like he had fallen asleep in the middle of whisper. I felt much better than before. I got up without waking him up and went up to the bridge.  
“Tifa! You are awake! How are you feeling?” Barret asked when he noticed I stepped in. I smiled at him.  
“I’m feeling good. Has Cloud been awake?”  
“Nope, not yet, except in Mideel he asked about you. He wanted to know were you alright.”  
“I see. I think I go to him, maybe he wakes up soon.” I went back to him, sat again next to his bed, watching him. After a while he opened his stunningly blue eyes.  
“Hello”, I said smiling. He looked around wondering where he was.  
“This is the Highwind. Airship we got little while ago”, I answered before he asked.  
“Oh… Nice.” He looked like he was putting his mind in order. Then he sat up and looked at me.  
“You alright? We went through some swirl, huh?”  
“Yes, I’m fine”, I said. He was quiet for a while.  
“Tifa… You were there for me all the time, weren’t you?” He asked. I couldn’t read anything from his voice or face.  
“Um, yes, I stayed with you from the moment we found you in Mideel… I thought you need support… And I was the most natural choice…” I didn’t know why I started explaining everything as I wouldn’t have been allowed to be there. He raised his hand stopping me. I looked away.  
“Thank you Tifa. I… I’m really thankful”, he said and continued, “at times I knew you were there, and then it all mixed up with other things…”  
“Yes but now it’s over. I’m glad to have you back”, I said because I couldn’t say more. I was quite stunned still, that he had done it all for me. For himself too but it was for me, he said so himself. I peeked at him through my hair. He was gazing into distance, maybe thinking something.  
“I want to meet the others, they are here, aren’t they? I… feel I need to say something to them”, he said and stood up. I nodded: “Yeah, we can meet in Operation room.” He was leaving.  
“Don’t you come?”  
“Yes, sure”, I said and got up. As I walked after him, automatically pointing the way to the correct room, I was thinking. Despite what he told me, I wasn’t sure how he felt about me. Was it the same I felt for him? He was so hard to read; he hid his true feelings too deep within. I was afraid to ask that so I followed him and joined the group smiling, pushing it aside for now, I reminded myself to be thankful that he was with us again.


End file.
